Self-starter for explosion-engines.



A. W INTON & H. B. ANnERs' bN. 'SELF STXRTER FOR EXPLOSION E GINES.APPLICATION FILED JULY 5119;2-

Patented Feb. 8, 1916;

/ SSHEETS-SHEETI.

. UL/m x WW/memo) I A. WINTON & H, B; ANDERSON. I

SELF STARTER FOR-EXPLOSION ENGINES;

Patented Feb. 8,1916.

- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- VAN/FOL 0 gnuqwbou.

A. WINTON & H. Bf. ANDERSON.

SELFSTARTER FOR EXPLOSION ENGINES.

. APPLICATION FILED JULY'5. I9l2.

Patentel Feb. 8,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

l v 1 :0 ,uA/wroz 0 I" V I i r ALEXANDER in01; nun "tin-item inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Self-Starters for Explosion-En- Igines, of which the following is a specifiv tionary engines.

cation, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to-improvementsin self-starters for exploslon engnes, 311C118 use in connectionv with marine and sta- The presentimprovement is constructed and designed particularly for use in multiplecylinder explosion engines, and the present improvement relates to atype or form of self-staiters forexplosion engines in which therespective cylinders andplstons are utilized in succession to cause thepistons of the other cylinders'to successively I charge themselves withan explosive mixture containing acetylene gas, thus causing cylinder thecylindersto produce acontinuance of thesequence "of-the motor functionsand cause the said acetylene explosive mixture to be fired while themotor, is This type or form of self st'arter has the ad-. vantage ofrepeated chances for firing in the sequence ofthe' motor operations tothe extent of the'capacity of the means for causing therespectivecylinders and pistons to i Y produce the sequence of the motorfunctions.

" Heretofore there have been twotypes of self-starters for explosionengines, in which an explosive mixture containing acetylene Specfication-of Letters Patent;

in motion;

1. "Amm nia "e tee 3 0-,

ta ta m. 8,1916,

sa esman;Lassa int thefspark m the starting. cylinder will" ignite thecharge there n. ,Alsoj in this type of self -s'tarter I a sudden exploson impulse is imparted to the engine while it is at" rest a and "thereis, of

course, considerable inertia resistanceand which 5 utilizes a mixture{containing acetyr v lene-gas for startin'gipiirposes is, that vji'nparticularly adapted for and intended to be i used in connection withexplosion engines of automobiles, though it is capable of such ,whi ch'tafter the explosion impulsesof'the engine are 'cut off and is runningfrom its momentum, acetylene gas is admitted to the carbiireter -inletmanifold:land one or morev of the said cylinders thus charged before theengineis stopped, and is expected to remain n the sa d cylinder orcylnders, until it s desired 'to again start the engine. The

engine is; then startedjfoi ilthe spark as in W the first typemfself-starters herein, de-

scribed and it has the v mode of operation, and but the one chancelo fstarting, and being subject of explosion -impaet while the engine isatrest,as explainediin connection with the first jdescribedtvpeheretofore known. M The; improvemen v x sea flamers tam eitherofhesegprev ously known types of self-starters :in; that, means18;;PIQVld8d for, causing ;the 1eng ne-to, perform, ts sequence ofoperative functions, and while performing these functionswthe cylindersare caused to successively chargegthemselves with the v y aexp osivemixtur repeatedly in the sequenceof notQ j f nctions, ignition iscaused} to eccu-r successively. in j the said cylinders, thusyrepeatedly:charging. and sparking-within the said cylinders until i the have beenutilized. One type is that in explosivefcharge is fired, whe'ntheengine;

which the acetylene explosive mixture is caused to pass successively toeach eng ne and charging themwith; said mixture while the engine is] atrest. The engine is then started by causing an explosion.

explosion, and if this fails, the operation df charging" the cylinderwith. acetylene. ga's,

while the engine is at-rest'must-berepeated then 'picks'up; itsown-sequence of explosion un i n f o t e Garb e elv nd it independentlyofthe -starting mechanism in theeusual manner. This diflerence,therefore, gives repeated chances-of causing-the l 1 engine to takem ipits;g own sequence" .of ,explosioi'is,

plosions to '2,QQC lI- while I the 5 engine mechanism .is-"in motion,iwhichidoes not subject the partsrfto'.

andalse gcauses .such ex JQ PIOSiO L'fii P S f pa t while the parts are'at rest with the consequent I disadvantages. r In the. accompan inawnings; Fi u 1 is a. diagrammati view -sh wll glthe W type ofself,+starters.;ioyfexplosion engines,

is an enlarged detached view, showinga modification in the manner ofplacing the acetylene tank in communication with the engine inletmanifold. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing another modification of thesame mechanism.

In carrying out the inventive idea in producing this new type ofself-starter and as an expression thereof, the drawings thereinillustrate means whereby the cylinders are successively utilized asmeans for causing the engine to produce its sequence of functions.

Fig.1 is a diagrammatic view in which 1 represents a plural cylinderengine. A pressure tank 2 is provided and this tank contains air orproducts of-combustion under compression, which preferably is charged bythe engine'while it is performing its explosion functions, either in thewell-known manner of an air-pump (notshown) operated by the engine, orby taking a part of the compressed products of combustion from one ormore of the cylinders and con- Fig.

veying it to the tank 2 in the manner herein shown, and which is thepreferred way of charging the tank 2. In this instance the tank ischarged by taking part of the compressed products of combustion'from twoof the cylinders through the pipes 3 to a pipe 4, which connects with ashort pipe 5, and thence through a pipe Gto the pressure tank 2. Adistributing valve 7 is operatively connected with-the engine and sotimed that communication is established through the saidvalve-successively to the respective cylinders 1, through the pipes 8.Communica tion between the tank 2 and the distributing valve 7 iseffected through the pipes 5, 6, and 9, and this communication iscontrolled by a manually operated valve 10, which may be constructed tobe operated either by hand or the foot. Y

Acetylene gas is contained in a tank 11, and is in communication withthe carbureter inlet manifold 12 of the engine through 'the pipes 13 and14. A valve 15 is located at the junction of these pipes 13- and 14 andI by means of this valve the flow of the acetylene gas to the saidmanifold 12 is permitted or cut off. If desired, a gas pressureregulator may be placed in the communica-,

tion between the tank 11 and the manifold 12,- as shown in Fig. 3, towhich reference will be hereinafter made for the purpose'of controllingthe pressure at which the gas is admitted to the said manifold.

It is, of course, to be understood that the old and well-known mechanismof an ex-. plosion engine is not shown or attempted to be shown in thediagrammatic View Fig. 1,

Isuch as the igniting mechanism, as Well as the other mechanisms ofthewell-known type of explosion engines, for these are so wellknown andunderstood that an illustration thereof or description would only serveto unnecessarily encumber the drawings and description.

The operation of my new type of selfstarter is illustrated in Fig. landis this: The engine being'at rest the operator, by means of the valve10, establishes communication between the pressure tank 2 and thedistributing valve. 7. The communication between the acetylene tank 11and the inlet manifold 12 is obtained. The distributing valve 7 admitsthe pressure to that cylinder which is on the explosion stroke and thiscylinder is thus utilized to 'set the motor in motion and to cause thatcylinder which is on its charging stroke to charge itself withthe'acetylene explosive mixture through the inlet manifold. Intheoperation of the engine, the distributing valve 7 admits the pressure tothe cylinders on their explosion strokes in succession and thus causethe cylinders on their charging stroke to charge themselves with theacetylene explosive mix ture in succession, and also cause the ignitionspark in succession in the respective cylinders in the manner wellunderstood. From this it will be observed that the cylinders areutilized in succession as a means for setting and keeping in motionthepairts of the engine while other cylinders are in succession, therebycaused to charge themselves with the acetylene explosive mixture,whereby should the explosive charge in one or more of the cylinders thusfirst charged fail to explode by reason of the condition of the mixture,the cycle of the engineis continued, the cylinders on the explosionstroke cause other cylinders to be charged with the explosive mixtureuntil it is in proper condition to and does explode and theexplosion-engine will then pick up its own sequence of explosionfunctions and operate independently of the starting mechanism. It willbe observed from this, as explained in the first part of thisdescription, that this is a type of self- -starters utilizing acetyleneexplosive mixture essentially different from the devices heretofore usedand known. The advantage of using an acetylene explosive mixture iswell-known, in that a far greater variation in the mixture of this gasin the explosive mixture can occur .without destroying its combustiblenature than with other kinds of gases, thus making it desirable to beused, provided 1t can be simply and efliciently accomplished.

It is understood, of course, that when the engine picks up its sequenceof explosion functions the operator closes or permits the valve 10 toclose and also closes the acetylene controlling valve 15. Thisarrangement will be very efficient in cold weather, because theacetylene can be used for running the engine a suitable length of timeto heat the parts so that a proper 'carburation of the gasolene willtake place through the carbureter. The l engine while running thenrecharges the capacity of the compression tank 2. Y Since in this :type'of self-starters the charging and igniting operations are repeated inthe regular functions of the engine, and since the more readilyignitible acetylene explosive jecting valve stem 16 with an 'arm 17located \distributing valve 7 with a laterally projech.

' Copies of this patent may be attained for five cents each, byaddressing the commissioner of Eatents', i

mixture isv used, it is found in practice that this type of starter isabsolutely reliable un-' der all conditions, and irrespective ofclimatic conditions. It is not dependent upon a single or repeatedefforts in the same cylinder in which the conditions are likely tobesubstantially unchanged.

In Fig. 2 a modificationis shown in which" the valve or button -10"whenoperated to start the engine to functioning will cause an acetylenecontrolling valve 15" to be opened and permit the gas to flow to themanifold 12, at the same time that the engine is put in motion. This iseffected by providing a proin the path of travel of the valve or button10' so that when the valve'or button 10 is moved to open the valve itengages the arm 17 and opens the valve .15. Preferably any 'suitableformof gas pressure regulator may be used between the "acetylene tank 11 andthe'm'anifold 12, preferably located between the valve which controlsthe flow of acetylene and the tank. This. is conveniently shown in Fig.2 at 18.

In Fig. 3 another modification is shownfor controlling the flow of theacetylene to the manifold 12, which consists in providing the. pipe 9'which communicates with the ing conduit or pipe 9, which is incommunication with the pipe 9, In communication with the pipe 9 is acasing 20 which contains a flexible diaphragm 21, and this diaphragm isconnected with the stem 22 of the acetylene controlling valve 23.Preferably a spring 24; serves to hold the valve 23 to. its seat andalso acts uponfthe diaphragm 21,

as clearly shown. When the valvelO is open to permit pressure from thetank 2to the distributer 'l, pressure is also admitted tothe casing 20andacts on the diaphragm 21, forcing it to one side and opening thevalve 23, thus permitting the acetylene toflowthrough the pipes I l-and13 tothe manifold 12. The valve 23 also has a pro-' 'ecting stem25 of adiameter equal to the valve 23, and this stem 25 projects outwardthrough a stufiing box 26', whereby t is capable of operation from theoutside and whereby the valve and its stem may be re- I :moved byremoving the stuffing box. Preferably a second spring 27 is placed inthe stuffing box and acts upon the valvejthrough its stem to cause it tobe seated. By means of this construction the valve is capable ofoperation from the outside in the event it should stick or fail tooperate. Inthis pipe is also a pressure or gas; regulator 18, as isshown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described the invention,

what is claimed and desired to be secured the piston of one of saidcylinders when the engine is at rest'and adapted to successively actupon the pistons of the other cylinders in the sequence of the motorfunctions by act-- ing on the firing stroke, a controlling member forthe acetylene gas supply and a controlling member for the said pistonactuating means, the latter controlling the acetylene controllingmember.

. 2. The combination with a plural cylinder explosion engine, of anacetylene gas supply in'communication with the engine cylinders on theircharging stroke, means acting upon the piston of one of said cylindersto set the engine in motionand adapted to act successively on'thepistons of the other cylinders to continue said motion in the sequenceof the motor functions by acting on the firing stroke, a controller forthe said actuating means, a controller for the acetylene supply, saidcontrollers operatively con-.

nected, whereby when the actuating means controller is operated theacetylene controller'is correspondingly operated. V

3. The combination with a plural cylinder explosion engine, of anacetylene gas sup,-

ply in communication with the engine cylinder on it's charging stroke,air means-acting upon the piston of one of sa d cylinders when theengine is at rest and adapted to successively. act upon :the pistons ofthe other cylinders in the sequenceof the motor function. by acting onthe firing stroke, a controlling member for the acetylene gas supply,and a controlling member for the air actuating means,.thelattercontrolling the acetylene controlling member. I

In testimony whereof We hereunto afiix our signatures in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ALEXANDER wiivroiv. HAROLD B. ANDERSQN. Witnesses: I a i W. J WARD G. M.LAVEILE.

Washington, D. W

